Process of making piston-rings



H. S. FRANK.

PROCESS OF MAKING PISTON RINGS.

APPLICATION men use. 7. 1918.

133,553,227, PatentedSept. 2 920.

' 2 SHEETS rllllil ll H. S. FRANK.

PROCESS OF MAKING FIST-0N RINGS.

APPLICATION FILED use. 1, I918.

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UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE.-

HARRY .FRANK, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

' PROCESS OF MAKING PISTON-RINGS.

T 0 all whom it may. concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY S. FRANK, a citizen of the United States,residing at the city of St.Louis and State ofMissouri, have invented anew and useful Process of Making Piston-Rings, of which the following isa specification. I Q This invention relates to the art of shaping pistonrings."

An object of the invention is to provide a novel art or process forshaping piston ringswhereby the form of rings, of either perfect orimperfect circular. form, may be changed to produce rings of. thedesired shape and dimensions.

.Another object of the invention is to pro-' of removed showing amachine for applying pressure to the ring to modify the shape thereof.

Fig. 2 is a 'cross sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

. Fig. 3 is a plan View .of another form of machine.

Fig. 4. is across sectional view thereof on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3:

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are views illustrating different forms of rollersadapted for use in The process b the machine to apply pressure to andmodify the shape of rings.

Fig.8 is aview illustrating aform of device for holding the ring inproper position in the machine.

which the rings are given their desired s ape is better understood whenconsidered in connection with a machine for practising the process.

As shown in- Figs. 1 and 2 the machine includes a frame 1 in'which avertical shaft 2 is journaled. The shaft 2 may be 'equipped' with awheel 'or pulley 3 adapted to be ro- Specific ation of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 21, 1920.

hpplication filed December 2, 1918. Serial No. 265,723.

tated by means of a belt or cable 4:,or other wise as desired.

The upper end of the shaft 2 is connected with a head 5 having formedtherein one on more radial grooves or guides 6. In each of the groovesor guides 6 a sliding member or actuator 7 is mounted. The actuators 7are.

capable of free radial movement in. the

guides in which they are mounted so that' when the head 5 is rotated theactuators are moved outwardly by centrifugal force. The

actuators may be retained 1n place by a plate 8 secured to the head 5,or by other appropriate retaining means.

The outer end of each actuator supports a roller 9. The axes of therollers 9 are parallel with the axis of the shaft 2 so that the rollerswill revolve freely against the ring to be'treated thereby.

The frame 1 supports a table or shelf 10 upon which are mounted anumberof segmental members 11. When it is desired to forma perfectly circularring a series of membersll are employed whose inner edges are incircular alinement so that when the rings are rolled or pressed againstthe members 11 they will eventually be given a circular shape. In caseit is desired to make rings of any other shape as, for instance, ova oreccentric, members 11 are employed having their inher edges of the shapeto form the-ring in. whatever shape it may be desired to form it. Asshown the members 11 have supporting ledges 12 to support the rings asthey are treated. The members 11 through radial slots 1& and engagingwith the table or shelf 10, thus permittingv the members 11 to beadjusted radially.

The members 11 may be accurately movedto and retained in any desiredradial adjustare retained in position by bolts 13 passing ment. For thispurpose a manipulating device is provided consisting of a ring 15supported by the table or shelf 10 and having pins 16 extending intoappropriately shaped slots 17 in the members 11. As a result of thisconstruction it is apparent that when the ring 15 is turned in onedirection the members 11 will be moved inwardly; and

when the ring 15 is turned in the other direction the members 11 will bemoved outwardly. As shown, the ring 15 is provided with a handle 18 formanipulation thereof. In order to treat a ring and to give the same adesired shape and d1mens1on,- the ring is placed upon the ledge 12 ofthe members 11 whose inner edges are properly formed for the shape anddimensions desired. Then pressure is successively applied equallyagainst every point on the inner periphery of the ring by rapid rotationof the rollers 9 on their axes and planetary .movement thereof aroundthe axis of the driving shaft 2. The pressure results fromthe-centrifugal force of the rollers 9 actuated centrifugally by theactuator 7, the

same pressure being applied against all circumfe'rential points of thering, and varying at allpoints equally according to the speed ofrotation of the actuators and rollers around the center axis.

is obvious that'the change in shape and dimension of the ring will bemore quickly efi'ected, due to the fact that molecular rearrangementthereof will result more quickly in heated metal than in metal which isnot heated. Nevertheless, it is not considered essential that the ringsbe heated in. order to modify the shape or size thereof, thoughin mostcases the use. of heat is preferable. The application of the pressure iscontinugd until the ring has been shaped a des1re The'mechanism shown inFigs; 1 and 2 is speciallyadapted for use in reducing the dimensions ofa ring which is too large for the purpose desired, though the use ofsaid mechanism is not so restricted; for such mechanism may also be.used to enlarge the dimensions of a ring which is too small for thepurpose desired. When it is desired to reduce the dimensions of a ring,the ring is placed in the position of the ring A in Fig.

rings which are too small for the purposes for which it is desired to.use them. In the case of the machine shown in Figs. 3 and 4 the ringsare supported upon a 'led e 19 formed on a table 20 of slightly dierentform from the table 10 shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The ring may bepreventedfrom rotating with the mechanism for treatment thereof by anyappropriate means such, for

instance, as that shown. The means .for

preventing rotation of the ring during treatmentthereof consists of aclamp composed of a-lower member 21, an up r membe? 22, and a clampingscrew 23. s shown, the lower member is provided with a rotary disk 24"and the upper member is provided If the, ring is heated before beingplaced upon the shelf it the periphery from turning.

In the use of the machine shownin Figs. 3 and 4 the ring is placed uponthe ledge 19 and. properly clamped in position by' the clamping-device;after which the mechanism for treatment of the ring is placed inoperation and the operation thereof continued until the shape anddimensions of the ring have been changed and the material set in thechanged form. By the specific mechanism shown the ring will be given acircular shape, due to the fact that the inner wall of the table 20 iscircular, though it is apparent that the rings may be given any desiredshape by providing tables havin inner walls proper y formed for the resu ts desired. g

The rollers 9 in the case of either machine may be of any desired shape.For instance, of the roller shown in Fig. 5 is formed w1th longitudinalribs, while the periphery of the roller 9 shown in Fig. 6 is nurled orspotted. The roller 9 shown in Fig. 7 is concaved, so as to extend abovethe upper and below the lower edges of the ring, thus holding the ringin position during treatment of the ring.

The side edges of the rings may be finished either before or aftertreatment, and I do not confine myself in this respect or in otherunessential particulars. What I claim and desire to secure by LettersPatent of the United States, is

1. The process of shaping a piston ring which comprises placing andholding the ring from rotating in .a form of a size different from the sze of the ring and of the shape which it is desired to give to the ring;

and subjecting the ring to outward radial pressure applied successively,and at spaced distances apart to all circumferential points of the ring,until the molecular arrangement of the ring is changed and the materialis set in the size and shape of the formg) 2. The process of changingthe shape and size of a piston ring which comprises placing the ring ina form of the size andshape which itis desired to give to the ring anddifferent from the size and shape of the ring when the ring is placed inthe form, and forcing a radially movable pressure device against theinner surface of the ring by centrifu al force, and continuingthepressure of sa1d devices by centrifugal force until the size and shapeofthe ring is changed to v shape.

the size and shape of the form, and until the material of the ring isSet in the changed 3. The process of shaping a piston ring whichconsists in heating the ring; placmg the heated ring in a form of thesize and shape which it is desired to ive to the ring and which isdifferent from the size and shape of the ring when the ring is placed inthe form; and actuating pressure devlces against the inner surface ofthe ring by centrifugal ressure until the size and shape of the ring 1schanged to the size and shape of the form, and the material is set inthe changed shape.

ing the ring, placingl the ring within a,

form smaller than the size of the ring before the ring is placed thereinand having a shape and size which it is deslred to give to' the ring;and applying centrifugal pressure successively against all points of theinner portion of the ring until the shape and size of the ring arechanged to the shape and size of the form in which the ring is placed,and the material is set in the changed shape and size.

HARRY S. FRANK.

